, 1887-03-10
DOOMED AT LAST.
One of left Carr's Victims Nearing
the End.
Fred Welcome, the Murderer of
0. Turner, to Die.

One of the most remarkable criminal
cases which the judicial history of this
country has ever known has at last been
finally decided by the decision of the
United States court at Washington, and
inasmuch as the defendant in the case,
Fred Hopt alias Fred Welcome, was
originally ferreted out and arrested in
Cheyenne by 7. jeff Carr, a mention OF
the case may not be out of place here, as
a great many people may remember
Welcome and the circumstances attending
his arrest.
Welcome, as we will call him, came
from Utah, and prior to his advent in
Cheyenne made his headquarters at or
near Park City. Near that place between
seven and eight years ago he with the
assistance of a companion whose name is
is not now remembered, murdered a young
nan named Turner for the purpose of
getting his team and money. After they
had perpetrated the bloody deed they
hauled the body of the young many up
into Echo canyon, where it was concealed
among the rocks. Here Welcome and
his companion divided the spoils and with
the team and a portion of the 81, 900
which they got, he made his way eastward
and eventually came to Green River. At
Green River Welcome sold the team and
came to Cheyenne. Before he arrived in
Cheyenne he had so changed his appear.
ance that the description sent out by the
Utah authorities furnished but a poor
clue to his capture.
After Welcome arrived in Cheyenne he
was very eccentric in his actions
and it was apparent that something was
wrong with him. He stopped at the
Dyer hotel and would get to raving and
cursing in his room in a violent manner
]. NJ. Tompkins, who was clerk at the
hotel at that time, undertook to make
him keep quiet and went up to his room
for that purpose. Welcome accused him
of being a detective and attacked him
violently. Tompkins, however, proved to
be the most powerful man ofthe two, and
after a hard tussle got the best OF Wei
come and whaled him into submission.
In the meantime the Utah authorities
telegraphed to JEFF Carr, as a member of
the Rocky Mountain Detective Associa-
ton, and JEFF satisfied that he would be
able to catch the fellow went to work on
the case. On the day Of the affair Just
alluded to John G. Turner, father of the
murdered man, arrived in Cheyenne, but
so completely was Welcome disguised
that if Turner saw Welcome at all he did
not recognize him. jeff, however. had
already made up his mind hat the troub-
lesome customer at Dyer's hotel was the
man and so he proved to be.
When arrested he was at the depot
preparing to take the train for the East.
This was more than seven years ago.
Welcome was taken back to Utah and
four times within the past seven years. he
has been tried, convicted and
sentenced to death, but three
out of the four times the United States
Supreme Court has reversed the decision
Of the territorial court and granted We'll
come a new trial. At every trial of the
case United States Marshal Carr has
been present as a witness in behalf of the
prosecution. 1t has cost the elder Tur-
ner thousands of dollars to prosecute
the murderer of his son, but he has
''staid with him until the end is near at
hand.
In the case just decided by the supreme
court the opinion states that this was the
fourth time that the case had been be-
fore it, and three times the court had de-
cided in favor of Welcome on account of
error. but in the last case the court say
they find no error, and, consequently, af-
firms the judgment of the court below.
This settles the matter, and now, after
years have interviewed, Fred Welcome
will have to meet death either by shooting
or hanging, for under the laws of Utah
the victim has the right to choose be-
tween these two modes Of execution.